ESSA Pharma (EPIX) Competitors

Mersana Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRSN) and ESSA Pharma (NASDAQ:EPIX) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, valuation, community ranking, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Does the media favor MRSN or EPIX?

In the previous week, Mersana Therapeutics had 15 more articles in the media than ESSA Pharma. MarketBeat recorded 17 mentions for Mersana Therapeutics and 2 mentions for ESSA Pharma. Mersana Therapeutics' average media sentiment score of 0.42 beat ESSA Pharma's score of 0.26 indicating that Mersana Therapeutics is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Mersana Therapeutics	1 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
ESSA Pharma	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Is MRSN or EPIX more profitable?

ESSA Pharma has a net margin of 0.00% compared to Mersana Therapeutics' net margin of -214.20%. ESSA Pharma's return on equity of -20.17% beat Mersana Therapeutics' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Mersana Therapeutics	-214.20%	-401.37%	-38.61%
ESSA Pharma	N/A	-20.17%	-19.62%

Which has preferable valuation and earnings, MRSN or EPIX?

ESSA Pharma has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Mersana Therapeutics. Mersana Therapeutics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ESSA Pharma, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Mersana Therapeutics	$36.85M	7.41	-$171.67M	-$0.61	-3.62
ESSA Pharma	N/A	N/A	-$26.58M	-$0.62	-2.77

Does the MarketBeat Community favor MRSN or EPIX?

ESSA Pharma received 100 more outperform votes than Mersana Therapeutics when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 75.87% of users gave ESSA Pharma an outperform vote while only 65.87% of users gave Mersana Therapeutics an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Mersana Therapeutics	Outperform Votes 249 65.87%	Underperform Votes 129 34.13%
ESSA Pharma	Outperform Votes 349 75.87%	Underperform Votes 111 24.13%

Do analysts rate MRSN or EPIX?

Mersana Therapeutics currently has a consensus price target of $6.00, indicating a potential upside of 171.49%. ESSA Pharma has a consensus price target of $11.67, indicating a potential upside of 578.29%. Given ESSA Pharma's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ESSA Pharma is more favorable than Mersana Therapeutics.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Mersana Therapeutics	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	5 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.88
ESSA Pharma	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Which has more risk & volatility, MRSN or EPIX?

Mersana Therapeutics has a beta of 1.5, indicating that its share price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ESSA Pharma has a beta of 1.84, indicating that its share price is 84% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MRSN or EPIX?

93.9% of Mersana Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.1% of ESSA Pharma shares are owned by institutional investors. 11.8% of Mersana Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 14.7% of ESSA Pharma shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

ESSA Pharma beats Mersana Therapeutics on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.